The present invention is concerned with a fin system used in cooling a rotary seal in a log debarker and the like.
A common type of log debarker includes a frame, a ring mounted for rotation on the frame, and air-pressure actuated debarking arms carried on the ring. Pressurized air is supplied to the arms through a rotary seal having stationary and rotatable seal portions carried on the frame and on the ring, respectively. In one debarker known in the prior art, the rotatable seal portion is composed of a pair of spaced annular elements defining confronting, annular walls. The stationary seal portion includes a ring structure disposed between the annular elements, and a pair of sealing rings carried on the ring structure and biased against associated annular walls in the annular elements just mentioned. During debarker operation, considerable frictional heat is generated in the seal in the regions of contact between the relatively moving seal parts. The buildup of frictional heat in the seal tends to produce heat stress wear in the seal, degrading the seal and ultimately requiring seal replacement.
One object of the present invention is to provide, in a log debarker and the like, a cooling fin system which substantially reduces heat buildup in a rotary seal of the type described above.
A more specific object is to provide such a system which acts to promote both radiative and turbulent-air heat transfer from such a seal.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a system which is compatible with, and can be easily incorporated into, a preexisting log debarker.
A debarker incorporating the cooling fin system of the present invention includes a frame, a ring mounted for rotation on the frame and a rotary air seal including a rotatable seal portion formed by two rotatable seal elements joined to the ring, and a stationary seal portion joined to the frame. Multiple fins in the system are joined to the rotatable seal elements in heat-conductive relation therewith, and to the stationary seal portion, adjacent the fins on the rotatable seal elements. With rotation of the ring relative to the frame, the fins on the seal portions travel relatively past one another to create cooling air turbulence in the region of the seal.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, fins on the elements are arranged in a pair of spaced, substantially planar arrays, one array on each element. Fins on the stationary portion are arranged in a substantially circular array between the two fin arrays on the annular elements.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent when the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is read in connection with the accompanying drawings.